


Five Times Horatio Suffered the Consequences of Being Soaked

by ioanite



Category: Hornblower (TV), Hornblower - C. S. Forester
Genre: 5 Times, Cold, Gen, Humor, wet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-28
Updated: 2014-01-28
Packaged: 2018-01-10 08:41:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1157532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ioanite/pseuds/ioanite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With all the times Horatio's gone shirtless and/or jumped overboard, you'd think this sort of thing would happen more often.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Times Horatio Suffered the Consequences of Being Soaked

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired, as so many of my fics are, by a post on following_sea...
> 
> Again, there's a Horatio/Amelia section in here, but it's too short to justify putting it in the "Windfalls" category, and right at the end for easy avoidance.
> 
> To give credit where credit is due, the first line of this fic is taken verbatim from "The Duel".

ONE (circa _The Duel_ )

“Beggin your pardon, sir, but you should see as you have some warm clothes. I’ve been in an open boat once for ten days, sir, it can get damn cold.”

“Yes, thank you, Matthews,” Hornblower muttered, trying to maintain his balance in a rapidly listing cabin. Matthews nodded and withdrew.

When he was gone, Hornblower shivered and gave a rueful sigh. Perhaps Matthews had forgotten that his “Captain” already had first-hand experience with the temperature of the water, having leapt into it several times to examine the hole in the side. Ordinarily, he could have dealt with the lingering chill with a hot cup of tea and a night of rest under warm blankets, but he didn’t  have that luxury. At the moment, the best he could do was to take Matthews’ advice and try to dress warmly.

Cold water swirled around his ankles, making him shiver again and causing his right ear to throb painfully. His ear had been bothering him ever since the second dive, and while he wasn’t sure what was going on, he knew the cold water was the proximate cause. He hoped it would pass before too long.

The _Marie Galante_ made an ominous groaning noise, and he knew it was time to go. Grabbing the charts and compass, he made his way above decks. His uniform and cloak would have to do for warmth until they were picked up.

(Days later, the doctor on the _Indefatigable_ would explain that his sore ear was due to the sudden change in temperature, and these things tended to fade in a few days. Indeed, the earache lasted about three days; the cold he picked up from the dives and his subsequent near-drowning laid him low for almost two weeks.)

 ***

TWO (circa _The Duchess and the Devil_ )

A rap at the cabin door caused Hornblower to sit up straight, regretfully loosening his grip on the blankets. “Come in!” he called out in as clear a voice as he could muster.

He sat up even straighter when he saw Captain Pellew entering the room. “S-sir!” he said, starting to rise to his feet.

“At ease, man, at ease. After all you’ve been through, I’m not going to put undue strain on you.”

“Th-thank you, sir.” Hornblower murmured, sitting down once more and drawing the blankets around him once more. Pellew looked him over critically. “Have you had the doctor take a look at you?”

“I…thought the survivors we rescued from the rocks took precedence. I was rained on, but they spent time in the ocean. They need more attention than I.”

He thought he saw Pellew shake his head faintly. “Mr. Hornblower, the health of every person on board is my concern and responsibility. Your concern for the others is admirable, but we don’t need you collapsing from hypothermia, either. The doctor has already examined the others and tended to them as needed. It’s high time he examined you as well.”

Hornblower sneezed in response, and a smile flitted across Pellew’s face. “Exactly. I will be getting a report from the doctor in half-an-hour. I expect to hear something from him about your condition.”

“Yes, sir.” Hornblower said thickly, lowering his head so the Captain couldn’t see his runny nose. As soon as he heard the cabin door close, he gingerly rose to his feet to make himself presentable to the doctor.

Fortunately, the doctor’s report was favorable. “You should be fine tomorrow, as long as you keep warm and get a proper sleep. That means no looking in on the others, and certainly no wandering about on deck.”

Hornblower had heard these instructions before, and certainly knew better than to disobey them. “I will, doctor.”

The doctor nodded his satisfaction. “By the way, Mr. Hornblower, you should be commended. The Duchess of Wharfdale is in much the same state as you, but she would have been seriously hypothermic if you hadn’t warmed her with your body heat. She has nothing but praise for your actions.”

Hornblower felt heat rise to his cheeks. “There, you’re looking healthier already!” the doctor exclaimed.

 ***

THREE (circa _Mutiny_ )

 “This isn’t funny, Archie!” Hornblower snapped, pressed as close to the wall as he dared without risking splinters, “The ship is in jeopardy. With Sawyer back in command so close to Spanish territory, there’s no telling what he might do.”

“I know,” Archie said faintly, voice wavering slightly, “But you have to admit there is something absurd about this.”

Hornblower crossed his arms and shifted uncomfortably. It was hard to believe that he had been sweltering up on deck, thus driving him to make his request, and now he was in a damp hold, naked and feeling colder by the minute. Archie’s snickering wasn’t helping his mood. “Absurd is _exactly_ the word I’d use.” he growled.

Thankfully, if Lieutenant Bush was amused by the situation, he was keeping it to himself. “There may still be a chance,” he said, “Buckland could convince Clive that the captain is unfit for duty. Sending an officer to the brig without any clothes should be evidence of that.”

Archie let out a short gasp of laughter, and Hornblower glared at him. “I’m worried, Horatio, I really am. It’s just that every time I look at you…” he trailed off and turned away. Hornblower rolled his eyes and tried to figure out some way of escape.

“Psst!” Hornblower looked up at the sound and saw Styles’ face peering down through the grating. “Styles! What’s going on?”

“I can’t talk for too long, Mr. ‘ornblower. Things are falling apart, and no one’s allowed to speak to you. I just wanted to let you know that Matthews will be by in a few minutes to bring you summat to wear. It’s criminal, sending you down ‘ere starkers.”

 “Thank…” Hornblower began, but Styles quickly retreated. Well, a little welcome news was better than none; perhaps now Archie could focus his attention on how to save the ship.

 ***

FOUR (circa _Hornblower and the Atropos_ )

Hornblower reluctantly removed his boat cloak and passed it to the waiting attendant. At least the warmth in the hall mitigated his chills a bit. “Wait here, if you please,” another uniformed servant said, “I shall see how long before His Majesty will receive you.”

Hornblower stood awkwardly in the hall, dabbing gingerly at his nose, hoping it hadn’t gone bright red yet. The last thing King George needed to know was that the officer assigned to the task of ferrying the body of Trafalgar’s hero had fallen ill in the course of doing his duty. His Majesty would either feel embarrassed or disappointed, and that was something Hornblower wished to avoid if at all possible.

 He felt like cursing his luck, but he wasn’t entirely sure where to direct his ire. The men who built a shoddy funeral barge? His crewmen who’d thrown the freezing water on him? Himself for not finding a way to avoid getting soaked? The weather for being so miserably cold that day? A variety of factors had contributed to this situation, and thus, all he could do was curse the cold in his head and pray it wouldn’t cause him too much trouble.

As he saw the servant exit a doorway, he tucked the handkerchief away and squared his shoulders. He’d just have to hope for the best and wait until he could return home. For once, Maria’s fussing would be more than welcome.

 ***

FIVE (circa _Commodore Hornblower_ )

“You brought this on yourself, you know,” Amelia said, rubbing at Hornblower’s calves, “What you were thinking, bathing on deck…”

“A man has to keep clean, Amelia.” Hornblower answered through chattering teeth. She arched her eyebrows. “Believe me, I’m aware. But when the water’s cold, I prefer to take a heated bath in my quarters. You could have done the same.”

There was truth to the argument, but Hornblower just coughed noncommittally. She rested her hands on his thigh and looked him square in the face, the familiar spark in her eyes. “Perhaps you were you just indulging your exhibitionist streak? Or even, dare I say, putting on a show for my sake?”

“I’m afraid that wasn’t my primary purpose. It’s an additional benefit, though.”

He shivered a little, causing Amelia to return to her task. “I’ll admit to being impressed,” she said, working her way up to his chest, “I wasn’t sure I was seeing things correctly, but the telescope confirmed that yes, you were indeed naked and conversing with the captain of that French ship. I’m not sure if that helped or hurt your position.”

“No shots were fired.” Hornblower pointed out.

“You must have made quite the…impression.” Amelia responded coyly, now level with his face. Hornblower gave her an answering smile. “Will you stay a little longer for a game of cards? I’d enjoy your company.”

Amelia pulled away a little as he sneezed. “Assuming your  little demonstration hasn’t left you with a case of pneumonia, I would be delighted. Shall I set up the table?”

Hornblower shook his head. “I believe the bed would be preferable. That way, I can warm myself up.”

“Of course,” Amelia answered, starting to unbutton her coat, “As long as it doesn’t involve coming in out of the rain, you always show a great deal of sense.”


End file.
